Fluids of various types must be stored, shipped, handled and often mixed in containers suitable for the intended application. As used herein, the term "fluid" may refer to any material that can flow, including gases, liquids or particulate solids, such as powders. Often, fluid products are comprised of one or more toxic or potentially harmful substances and one or more non-toxic substances. For example, a concentrated chemical, which may have a toxicity harmful to humans and animals, is often mixed with water and used for various purposes. The uses may be household uses, laboratory or scientific uses, medical uses or other industrial applications. Especially in the case of laboratory, scientific or medical situations, aseptic conditions are often required for the fluid material or materials during storage, shipping, handling and use. Adequate precautions must be taken to prevent outside contaminants from reaching the fluid material within the container. This is typically easy to accomplish during the storage, shipping and handling phases of the product life when all of the fluid components have been mixed at the manufacturing site and sealed in the container until use.
More recently, the use of concentrates mixable with a non-toxic base fluid, such as water, has proliferated due to the associated convenience and environmental benefits. For example, many manufacturers of fluid products now sell concentrates that are mixed with water to form the end product. This reduces the amount of packaging necessary for the product being sold and allows the consumer to reuse a container in which the concentrate is mixed with the base fluid, such as water. Certain drawbacks of two-part systems in which the consumer must mix concentrate with another fluid, such as water, have been recognized in the art. For example, handling large bottles of concentrate can be inconvenient, unsafe and difficult. U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,216 addresses some of these general problems with specific regard to a spray bottle. In this regard, the user can puncture a concentrate insert in the spray bottle by using the draw tube of the spray bottle. Once the insert is punctured, the concentrate is released and mixes with water contained in the bottle.
One area in which problems remain with respect to two-part or multi-part fluid mixing systems is the area of aseptic fluid storage and handling. The product shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,216 fails to address this problem as the use of the draw tube of a spray bottle can easily introduce outside contaminants into the fluid components within the bottle. For these reasons, it would be desirable to provide a fluid storage, handling and mixing system and components therefor that allow at least two fluid components to be mixed just prior to use while ensuring that the mixing takes place under aseptic conditions.